Archived Story: Broken
by Orpheus Kidwell
Summary: Archive. The world is broken and Naruto is just the one to fix it. Insane!Naruto


**Broken**

**Not gonna lie, I kind of completely forgot I even had this in my archives, but here it is. Not sure what to think of it, but it was certainly... an interesting thing to edit. Not sure if it'll ever be continued, but you know. It's a possibility.**

**Chapter I: A Killer on the Loose**

**[Hokage Office]**

"Do we have any news as of yet, Danzou?" Hiruzen asked the sole occupant of his office with a sigh. Normally, he would have kept his former teammate's ROOT out of commission, but this particular problem in the village was not one that could be ignored. That's not to say that he had ignored it, but the standard ANBU were unable to provide anything but dead leads and cold cases from the victims.

"I thought we might have been on to something, but the ROOT agent I sent just ended up like the others. He had his scalp removed and brain taken away. The most recent victim ended up in the same boat as my agent, making Kurama Sayuki the eleventh victim in the last six months, not counting the ANBU and ROOT that have lost their lives against whoever this serial killer is. The pattern remains the same, though. Whoever it is only targets shinobi of at least Chuunin rank with several years of experience or those with bloodlines. He or she also seems to be consciously avoiding touching the main families of the clans, which is smart given doing something to the Clan Head or Heirs and Heiresses would most certainly cause the village to bay for blood."

Hiruzen sighed again at Danzou's assessment and the news. "This is unfortunate… however, this matter is of the utmost importance to the village with the Chuunin Exams coming up. We cannot allow this killer to remain at large with the children of the Kazekage and other important guests coming. I am relying on your forces to get this taken care of, Danzou." The cripple nodded his head at the command before turning around and leaving. As the one-eyed man left the office, a familiar person entered. "Hello, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen greeted with a smile.

The teen smiled back at the old man, though it wasn't his foxy grin he would've flashed six months ago before he graduated the Academy. The boy had changed considerably since graduating, in fact. Hiruzen wasn't sure if it was the death of both Mizuki and Iruka on the night of the scroll incident, the serial killer on the lose or the boy's first mission that turned from C-rank to A-rank due to the presence of Momichi Zabuza, but the boy had certainly matured.

His blonde hair was still spiked wildly, his eyes were still that bright cerulean and he still bore those whisker-like marks on his cheeks, but the resemblance ended there. Gone was the orange jumpsuit in lieu of a dark red shirt and black pants similar to the ANBU design. He also wore black jacket over his shirt that extended down to his knees with the red Uzumaki Spiral on the center of its back. His left leg carried a total of three pouches for the boy's projectiles while the right hip was adorned with a jian the genin had taken up about two months after graduation.

"Hello, jiji." Naruto greeted back. His innocent, playful tone was long gone and was instead a bit empty, with only a tinge of something that Hiruzen couldn't quite identify. "Sensei wanted me to bring this to you since he's busy with the newest edition of Icha Icha." The blonde pulled a scroll from inside his coat and laid it on the Hokage's desk, chuckling at the actions of Kakashi. He knew for a fact it wasn't the Icha Icha that was making him do this – not entirely anyways. As part of the ways Naruto had… matured over the last six months was that he was always found training or locked inside his apartment and rarely socialized with anyone anymore. It was an uncommon trait, but not unheard of. Sometimes this line of work hit people hard and everyone had ways to cope. Kakashi himself was a similar way after Rin and Obito were taken, but that made Kakashi the best person to bring the old Naruto – or at least parts of him – back out.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen said with a smile as he took the scroll and began to read it, seeing it was a status report on the progress of all three students and a written request to enter them into the Exams. The meeting to ask each sensei the exact question wasn't until next week, but this would at least give him less surprise when the meeting took place. "So, how has your training progressed so far?" Though he knew the answer, he wanted a bit of conversation with his surrogate grandson.

"Sensei says that I'm progressing well with my jian and that I seem to have a talent for learning the ANBU style of kenjutsu quickly. I also did some research on my own and found out I have a wind and water affinity that I've been trying to teach myself how to use so that I can gain an edge over Sasuke." In the nearly emotionless voice that Naruto spoke, Hiruzen had to strain himself not to frown. The research part wasn't news to him. It certainly had been a surprise five months ago when it started, considering his former attitude towards schoolwork though."I can't really do any ninjutsu yet, though…" Hiruzen smiled as he finally heard an emotion, even if it was disappointment.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Learning elemental ninjutsu is tricky, especially without a teacher to help you. Why don't I see if I can get someone to help you out a bit so that you can surprise Kakashi and Sasuke, eh? Maybe Sakura will be impressed and go on a date with you too." Naruto nodded, but frowned at the mention of the pinkette. He said nothing about her though.

"I really must be getting back to my research though, jiji." Hiruzen nodded and waved goodbye to the blonde, watching as he left the office. He really was a good kid, he just needed some help to adjust to everything that he was going through. Stress really did a lot to people.

**[Naruto's Apartment, 2 Hours Later]**

The blonde shut the door into his apartment with a sigh, his back against it. "I never thought those ANBU would stop following me…" The blonde muttered to himself. Shaking himself from the stupor, he felt a smile began to form on his lips as excitement filled his being. Getting from the door, he turned to look at it and pressed his palm against the wood while channeling chakra. As he allowed the energy to pass from his flesh to the door, a large seal array appeared not only on the door but around the entire apartment – it was a very complex array at first glance. In truth, it only had a total of three purposes: to silence what happened within the house, to warn Naruto if anyone approached the property and to keep a certain section of his apartment from emitting any chakra while also keeping dojutsu from seeing what he happened within it.

As the blue markings faded back, the boy couldn't help but let that smile widen. His cerulean eyes sparkled with something that wasn't quite right, that wasn't quite sane. With that look in place, the teenager walked through his apartment before entering his room. Thanks to his burden and pariah status, there was in fact no one else that lived in the apartment complex, in fact the entire complex had been bought by the Hokage and no one ever came near the 'Fox's Den' as it had become known as. It was perfect for the blonde, in his eyes anyways.

In his closet the blonde walked and found a certain area of the wall. Biting his thumb and pressing his bloody digit against the back of the small compartment resulted in a new seal glowing in the dark area. As it showed itself, the wall shimmered before disappearing completely. Stepping through the new space, Naruto found himself in a hall that absolutely _reeked _of decay, blood and sweat. And it made him grin wider.

The seals that were on the walls and ceiling of this hallway gave off a dim illumination. They were actually distortion seals that changed the space that they were etched onto. In short, this hallway was actually sealed inside of Naruto's closet, built by himself and only accessible by his blood. It was similar to a storage scroll, though a bit more complex but no Uzumaki that was worth their name would allow their Fuinjutsu skills to be anything less than grand.

"Now, let's see what we've got today." He spoke in a voice far different than the one he used with the Hokage. This voice was full of glee and empty of empathy. As he walked down the hallway, his eyes scanned the doors that were placed on either side of the passage which extended further than he could see with his cerulean orbs. A whimpering on his left caught the blonde's attention and he peered into the metal door on that side. Looking through the two-sided mirror, he saw someone curled in a ball that was crying weakly.

He opened the door and immediately the individual within got up, scrambling back against the wall. As he walked in, the blonde held up his hand and channeled into it. Lightning crackled, emitting a dim light over the otherwise pitch black cell. It showed the prisoner to be an adult woman with brown hair and brown eyes, dirt-stained skin and ripped clothes that were once very nice, made of silk in fact. Her eyes had deep bags beneath them while the eyes themselves were filled to the brim with fear. Naruto let her scent fill his nostrils and found it to be a combination of sweat, fear and excrement, the last due to a lack of toilet in the cell.

"Hello, Aki-chan." The blonde spoke with a smile. "You know, the Hokage and his ninja are still baffled by the ninja killer here in Konoha that took his eleventh victim last night. They say eleven victims, but the truth is that they can't possibly know all the people aside from ANBU that I've killed." His grin widened as he spoke, causing Aki to shake in terror. "I was so powerless before… but not anymore. When I found that kinjutsu in the Scroll of Sealing that night, it changed everything. Being able to steal the memories and bloodlines of other people is such a wonderful gift. I knew that the power was no longer with those who wanted me dead. It was mine. Mizuki and Iruka were my first victims, you know.

"One was using me and the other offered too little, too late to change anything. I couldn't take their brains that night though, not without bringing suspicion to myself. Mizuki revealed the Kyuubi to me, after all. They had no bloodlines either, so taking their blood or organs would have been useless to me. It was after that I knew why everyone wanted to kill me, why people wished me dead. It's because they felt powerless and needed something as a scapegoat. Why not use the defenseless child who couldn't fight back? If he fought back, then they would be proved right and his torture would increase. Uzumaki Naruto can't fight back. Kuroisha can do whatever he wants to everyone who hurt Naruto though. And you, Aki, have hurt me far too much."

"I'm s-s-sorry!" Aki suddenly shouted, kneeling down with her face pressed into the ground before the teen. Her sobbing form groveled before the blonde, a grown noblewoman turned to a sniveling mess since she had been there. "P-please don't kill me!"

Naruto smirked darkly as she begged for her life. "You are the wife of a wealthy merchant and a consistent donor to the Konohagakure Orphanage. I recall that your donations stopped for a period of about a year between my fifth and sixth birthday with the stipulation that they would return when I was no longer an orphan there. Your cold heart caused the starvation of three orphans and the death of two more by disease when the funding could have easily prevented their deaths. You had the power to save lives, but you didn't do it for your own selfish reasons. I don't blame you, like most humans you are just broken." The electricity stopped sparking along his flesh as he spoke. He held his hand out and the air pressure changed. Aki was lifted up and pressed against the wall. "But that's okay, because I'll fix you." Holding his index finger out and pointing it at her forehead, he slowly slid it through the air and a laceration appeared on her skin that matched his motion, blood dripping down her face. It was unfortunate for her that her screams could not be heard through the silencing seals.

**[Training Ground 7]**

"Has sensei still not showed up yet?" Naruto wondered as he walked onto Training Ground 7 where Sakura and Sasuke were already located. The two shook their head. Sasuke was sitting in front of the Memorial Stone, his coal eyes staring off to space as he lost himself in though. Sakura, on the other hand, was looking at the Uchiha with such obsession Naruto could have sworn that she had hearts instead of pupils for a moment. Shaking those thoughts aside he sighed. "That man seriously has no understanding of etiquette." The blonde noted.

"Ma, ma, Naruto-kun that's so mean." A voice spoke from behind the genin. As the jinchuuriki turned around, he saw Kakashi walking down the street with his lone eye closed cheerfully in an 'eye-smile' which the team had come to understand showed his happiness where the facemask hiding his mouth could not. "And I had such good news for you three too." It was then that the trio noticed the stack of papers in the Jounin's hands, each one filled with curiosity.

"What are those?" Sakura wondered as both Sasuke and her walked so they were grouped with Naruto.

"These are forms for you three to enter the Chuunin Exams tomorrow." He explained to them while handing each one a stack of paper. "Fill these out and meet me at room 301 of the Academy tomorrow morning at 9 AM if you're interested in becoming a Chuunin." Kakashi said with an audible grin. "There won't be any team training today since you need to be well-rested if you decide to enter tomorrow. I will leave you three to make your decisions now." With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

As he did, the three looked down at their forms. "I'm entering." Naruto spoke first, gaining the attention of his teammates. "After the things we went through these six months, we might have an advantage over some of the other teams. There will be people more experienced than us, but I think that we still have a shot." He told the other two. Sasuke didn't respond but the slight grin he gave was answer enough. Sakura nodded once.

"We've come a long way thanks to Kakashi-sensei…" She commented, though her tone did harbor some hesitation. "We're still only rookies but it can't hurt to try. Yeah, let's do it. I'll make sure to make you proud of me, Sasuke-kun!" The last sentence was louder than any other part of her response and caused the Uchiha to inch away from her a bit.

"I'll see you two tomorrow then." Naruto told them. "I've got some research to finish up to help with my training." He explained before turning and walking away from the Training Ground. The Uchiha and pinkette didn't make any move to follow as this was something that became familiar to the trio. It was just as much a part of the team dynamic as Kakashi's tardiness, Sasuke's brooding and Sakura's obsession with the Uchiha.

As the blonde headed into the village he couldn't help but smirk when a group of shinobi were surrounding one of the shops. Wiping the look from his face, he approached one of the Jounin. Naruto no longer wore the same face, but instead his hair had turned black and was held in a short ponytail, his eyes now a dull green and the birthmarks that made him familiar to people disappeared. "What happened here?" He asked curiously. The shinobi was one he recognized as a member of the Department of Forensics of the Torture and Interrogation Division by the kanji for 'analysis' on his shoulders.

"Another victim of that killer, Kuroisha. This makes number twelve." The man sighed and shook his head. "Count yourself lucky that you probably aren't in any danger being a genin. Kuroisha seems to only target shinobi and civilians from wealthy backgrounds, but you should still sleep with one eye opened, just in case." The Forensics shinobi frowned and grit his teeth. "I don't know who this guy is, but he's going to certainly pay when we find out who they are."

"Don't worry, I know that eventually he'll be found. I mean, he's bound to slip up at some point and then you guys will be able to apprehend him easily." The Jounin nodded at that response before turning away and entering the clothes shop where the corpse had been found. Of course, Naruto already knew who the person was, it was Aki. He had personally had the woman brought there and then set her up to be hanging upside down with her open cranium spilling what was left of her blood to the floor. She was his twelfth project, the twelfth person he fixed.

Turning away from the building that had a crowd gathering as her body was taken out on a gurney, Naruto allowed his appearance to return to normal. _That Kurama woman's bloodline is so useful. Her illusions may only affect my own looks, but they are unbreakable and physically alter my appearance. It's almost as useful as Haku's ice or the Inuzuka's senses. Perhaps more useful, now that I'm thinking about it._

Walking further down the road, he found himself looking at a strange scene. The Hokage's grandson was being held up by his collar by a boy wearing a black bodysuit, a sneer on the older boy's lips. Next to him was a blonde girl with four ponytails and a large, club-like object on her back. Konohamaru's two followers were also there. Meanwhile, Ino was busy arguing with the two people he didn't recognize. Approaching the scene laid out before him, the others finally noticed him.

"It's not a good idea to pick fights in the village you're visiting, Suna shinobi." Naruto pointed out as he rested his hand on his jian. "Based on your ages, I assume you are here for the Chuunin Exams tomorrow. It would not do well to be found threatening the grandson of the Hokage." The boy in black widened his eyes as he looked at the kid with the scarf and dropped him.

"Whatever." He narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "It's not like I care anyways. Let's go, Temari." He turned to leave, but just then another voice rang out.

"Kankurou, are you allowing this boy to intimidate you? Does your existence have that little proof that you give in so easily?" From the treeline behind them appeared a red-haired boy who appeared to only be eleven at most with a large, peanut-shaped gourd strapped to his back. He approached Naruto curiously. "Who are you?" The blonde looked at the redhead, spying the tattoo of 'Love' on his forehead. The power emanated off of his in waves and Naruto didn't need to be a sensor to detect the immense amount of chakra that the boy held. Only by sheer force of will could he stop himself from licking his lips at the possibility of taking his power.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto." He introduced himself. "And who might you be?"

"Sabaku no Gaara." The other boy replied in kind with a monotone voice. Hearing the title, Naruto could barely stop himself from grinning like a madman. He didn't show it outwardly, but on the inside he was becoming giddy. _That's the same title that the Yondaime Kazekage's family has used for generations! These three, one of them might have the Jiton! It's probably this boy, Gaara, if his chakra is any indication. It would be useful to add such a special ability to my repertoire, just as Haku's Hyouton has been. I just have to wait for the right opportunity and make a plan. The Exams last a whole month for all three parts, so I should have ample time, but it _will _be mine._

"I look forward to meeting you in the Exams, Sabaku no Gaara." Naruto stated in a similar tone he had used with the Hokage, not showing any of the emotion or any of the thoughts currently swirling within him.

"Likewise. Kankurou, Temari, let us be off." He commanded the other two and led them away, not once looking back.

"What was that about?" Ino asked in curiosity. The way they were looking at each other reminded her of how Shikamaru and Asuma looked at each other when they played Shogi. She supposed it was just a part of how her former classmate had changed since graduation. To be honest, while she did enjoy the more mature Naruto since there were no more pranks and he was a lot quieter… she did miss the old Naruto from time to time. The boy didn't even greet her or the children as he watched the trio from Suna leave before turning heel and going his own way to who knows where. He didn't even respond to her question. "What happened to you, Naruto? You haven't asked Sakura out in months and now you ignore everyone. No pranks in the village and no announcement of how you'll be the next Hokage. You're like a whole different person."

She couldn't have known, but Naruto could, in fact, hear every word she said. He'd stolen the Inuzuka's sensory abilities around two months ago from an unsuspecting vet. _I am a different person, Ino. _He thought to himself with a small smirk. _I've learned how to understand things, how to understand the world and humanity. Humans are broken and need someone to fix them. My changes are necessary so that I can be the one to do it. There are evil people that have things I can use and I will take them to fix the problems I've seen. _His lips quirked upwards little by little as he thought about it. _Even a few innocent people have things I need. If I have to sacrifice a few sheep to find the wolves, then that's just something that needs to happen. All that's important is that I gain the tools. The power… _His smile became a grin while sheer lust filled his cerulean orbs. It wasn't carnal lust, but a power lust… a hunger. _Yes, the power will be mine. I will be powerless no more._

Looking down at his right hand, he saw a light mist rising off of it as frost coated his knuckles. No one was anywhere in the vicinity of him according to his nose and ears, so he smirked and let the temperature drop further. Glancing around, he saw what he was searching for before he had been distracted. He stood before a lone house on an empty road. Naruto could hear the sole occupant of the residence doing something in the kitchen and channeled his chakra through the Kurama bloodline, his form shimmering before he became invisible.

The Uzumaki walked up the stairs to the doorknob and held it in a firm grip. Within seconds, the brass knob had frozen solid. Drawing his blade, he slammed his hilt against it and watched as the metal shattered into ice shards. Pushing the hilt through the hole in the door, he smirked when he heard the knob on the other side shatter against the floor as well. Pushing it open, he began walking towards the kitchen upstairs on the second floor. The sounds hadn't stopped upstairs which meant he was still undetected.

The smell of pork cooking met the young Uzumaki's nose and he saw his target attending to the oven, stirring a pot mindlessly while a radio played next to him. He had a ponytail of black hair with grey streaks in it and wore a white apron over his blue shirt and black pants. Moving from the pot, the man began to chop vegetables with a kitchen knife as Naruto silently approached from behind. "It's been some time since I had any visitors." He said while humming along to the rhythm of the classical music on his radio.

"Hehe… didn't think it would be that easy to sneak up on a Hyuuga." Naruto said as his illusion dissipated. "You probably have your Byakugan activated at all times, don't you?" The man chuckled as he began to scrape the chopped ingredients into the pot of boiling water and meat.

"Not at all times, no. But I do activate them when someone trips my alarm. You were a bit sloppy on the entrance, but otherwise it was very well done. So, who sent you? Was it Hiashi? Danzou? Kuroko?" Naruto didn't answer immediately.

"No one. I'm here of my own accord." Naruto admitted, though filed away the information for later. "I don't suppose you've heard of the person who calls themselves Kuroisha, have you?" The man stopped stirring as the name left Naruto's lips. "So you have, that makes this quicker."

"So, that's who you are."

"You're lucky number 13, Hyuuga Reiji." Naruto explained as his jian's blade frosted over and the temperature of the entire room dropped considerably. "I didn't actually know where you were until I gained the information from my last victim, Kiruna Aki." Reiji had his hands on the counter and was gripping the counter. "Turns out that you've been up to some nasty deeds despite being a main branch Hyuuga. Human trafficking of children from small Hi no Kuni villages, transportation of opium from Kaze no Kuni to Yu no Kuni and selling village secrets to Orochimaru of the Sannin for his impending invasion are just a few of your recent activities. No wonder you don't live at the Compound."

"I won't go down without a fight, you know." Reiji stated matter-of-factly. Naruto nodded, knowing the man would see. "Today, one criminal will die and the other will walk free, you know." Naruto's lips quirked into a smirk as a large seal array lit up the kitchen starting from Naruto's feet and spreading outwards. "What is that?"

"Just a precaution. No one will sense chakra from our fight and no sound will escape this kitchen. Just so you know, the fight is my favorite part of this." Reiji narrowed his activated Byakugan as he grabbed the kitchen knife, cursing the fact that he didn't have his equipment on him while his opponent was fully equipped. Quickly pivoting on his foot, he tossed the knife directly for Naruto's throat. The already cold air became subzero in front of the blonde as an ice mirror formed itself and blocked the knife.

The mirror then began to crack before it became one thousand shards that all floated in midair and pointed at the Hyuuga. "Don't worry, this will only hurt… a lot." Naruto explained as they shot forward. Even though many missed the quick moving target, Reiji was unable to get out unscathed. With so little room, he couldn't perform a Kaiten and the proof was in the three dozen shards of ice that penetrated his limbs, torso, waist and the gashes on his shoulders, cheeks and legs. Reiji glared at the blonde and shot forward, his palms aglow with chakra as he aimed for the boy's chest with a double palm strike.

Naruto sidestepped the blow, bringing his jian up as he did and taking enjoyment as three of the man's fingers were sliced off at the knuckle. The loud scream of anguish was music to his ears. His left hand crackled with electricity and he gripped Reiji's arm. **"Lightning Style: Spark Palm." **The man convulsed and was stuck in place for a moment before he found the strength to break free of the sadistic blonde's hold and jumped away, his back to the stove. Looking at his bloody stumps he once called fingers, Reiji grabbed his boiling pot and threw it at the blonde with his other hand. Naruto created another mirror of ice, the boiling water melting it as the pot hit it. At the same time, Reiji pressed the tips of his fingers against the stove top, cauterizing his stumps with a loud scream of agony.

Naruto gripped his jian in both hands as he rushed forward, ice and lightning coating the blade in the moment that he lunged forward, aiming for his target's abdomen. Reiji strafed to his left before slamming his palm into Naruto's side and pushing him into the counter. The blonde lost grip on his blade as he slammed into it, glaring at Reiji. Holding out his hand, he felt the ice solidify and become a replica of his weapon with wind wrapping it in an aura to create an extremely sharp edge.

Reiji rushed to get inside the serial killer's guard. The blonde used the chance to swing his ice blade, nearly beheading the trafficker if he hadn't quickly backpedaled. While the man kept moving back, Naruto lunged forward with his blade. Reiji could guess the blonde's plan and slammed his palm down on the chakra blade, shattering it with a smirk. His smirk quickly died when he felt pain in his stomach and looked down to see the steel blade where it stabbed through his back and into his front. His eyes pleaded in asking the question he couldn't. "Vacuums are so useful." Naruto explained as he dropped his ice blade and used air pressure to push Reiji into the wall behind him, the sword pressing more and more into his body.

The blonde walked closer to his target as he held up his index finger and pointer at the wall directly to the right of Reiji's skull. "Don't worry. Your eyes and your knowledge will be put to good use in fixing the world. I'm sure you know from your own experience that the world is broken, but I'm here to fix it." He began to move his finger to the left, watching at Reiji's skull began to bleed from the blade. The screaming was almost as beautiful as the song on the radio.

"I love my job." He said with such glee that one might think he was mad.


End file.
